The Green Bay Packers’ home opener at Lambeau Field ended in a 35-14 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, and the loss carried an extra sting when one of the Packers’ most reliable defensive pieces left the game and did not return.
Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper departed in the second half and was later announced as being evaluated for a concussion, adding injury concern to an already lopsided result.
Cooper had been active before he exited. He finished with five tackles, two of them solo, and his last credited stop came late in the third quarter when he and safety Evan Williams combined to bring down Bijan Robinson after a nine-yard run.
Officials provided the update during the fourth quarter via the team’s account: Cooper was being evaluated for a concussion.
At that point, the diagnosis had not been confirmed, only that he was undergoing protocol. He did not record a sack or turnover in the game.
The timing made the situation more frustrating. Cooper had entered the week on the injury report with a shoulder issue and was listed as limited in practice, yet he received no game-status designation and was cleared to play.
The concussion evaluation is separate from that shoulder problem.
Green Bay was already short-handed in several spots, and losing a linebacker who had played nearly every defensive snap through the first two weeks only compounded the night’s difficulties.
Cooper had opened the 2026 season in strong form. Through two games he had compiled 12 tackles, nine of them solo, and two sacks—one in the season-opening loss to Minnesota and another in the overtime win over the New York Jets. That consecutive-game sack streak underscored how central he has become to the Packers’ defense.
Selected in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Texas A&M, he made an immediate impression as a rookie with 79 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four passes defensed, an interception and a forced fumble despite starting only four games.
His role grew in 2025, when he started regularly and posted 115 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a half-sack across 16 games.
Thursday’s outcome left Green Bay at 1-2 and searching for answers on both sides of the ball.
Atlanta controlled the game behind Bijan Robinson, Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London, pushing past 400 yards of offense. Cooper’s absence in the later stages removed one of the few consistent playmakers the Packers had on defense. The team now waits on further updates regarding his condition.
For a defense that has leaned on him as a full-time contributor, the next report on Cooper will matter as much as the final score itself.
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